Automatic envelope openere with means to jog envelope to shift contents



Jan. 31, 1967 T. w. OWEN 3,301,116

AUTOMATIC ENVELOPE OPENER W1 TH MEANS TO JOG ENVELOPE '10 SHIFT CONTENTS Filed Jul 19, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IOI Inventor Trevor W Owen Jan. 31, 1967 OWEN AUTOMATIC ENVELOPE OPENER WITH MEANS To JOG ENVELOPE TO SHIFT CONTENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July 19. 1965 S i Ni 9 lrl United States Patent 3,301,116 AUTOMATIC ENVELOPE OPENER WITH MEANS TO JOG ENVELOPE TO SHIFT CONTENTS Trevor W. Owen, 1537 Clearwater Drive, Port Credit, Ontario, Canada Filed July 19, 1965, Ser. No. 473,098 11 Claims. (Cl. 83-408) This is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 305,643, filed August 30, 1963, now abandoned relating to an automatic envelope opener.

Objects of the invention are to provide an automatic envelope opener that is capable of rapidly cutting three edges of an envelope without cutting the contents, 'and which is relatively simple, efficient and reliable.

A preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic envelope opener viewed from above,

FIG. 2 is 'a sectional view of the machine shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line 22 in FIG. 4,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view partly broken away taken along the line 55 in FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawings, an automatic envelope opener is provided with a frame 11 having vertical side walls 12 and 13 and horizontal tables 14, 15 and 16. A drive mechanism 17 is contained within the space between the side walls 12 and 13. Three cutting stations 18, 19 and 20 are provided for respectively cutting narrow strips from one longitudinal edge and both ends of the envelopes 21. In order to prevent the contents of the envelopes from being cut means is provided for automatically jogging the envelopes to thereby urge the contents of the envelopes away from the edge to be cut, as will be described.

Envelopes to be opened are stacked in a hopper 22 having an open side to facilitate insertion of the envelopes 21. The position of an end wall 23 of the hopper 22 is adjustable ot accommodate envelopes of various standard lengths, and the end wall 23 tapers inwardly towards its lower end to guide the lower envelopes in the stack towards a narrow exit slot 24. Before they are placed in the hopper 22 the envelopes are manually jogged (for example by tapping them against a table) to urge the contents of the envelopes away from a longitudinal edge 21a of the envelopes.

The envelopes 21 are successively withdrawn from the hopper 22 by a conventional bottom feed mechanism which includes a pair of sector shaped members 25 (only one of which is shown) fixed to a transverse shaft 26 that is driven by a belt 27. The sector shaped members 25 are provided with friction surfaces 25a which engage the lower surface of the bottom envelope 21 in the stack through rectangular openings 28 in the table 14. Spring-loaded circular stones 29 (which do not rotate) bear against the upper surface of the bottom envelope and prevent more than one envelope from being withdrawn at a time. The belt 27 is driven by a shaft 30 having a pulley 31, 'and it is exposed to the lower surface of the withdrawn envelopes through a rectangular opening 32 in the table 14. A downwardly-biassed idler wheel 32a urges the withdrawn envelopes against the exposed portion of the belt 27 and thus the envelopes are moved forwardly 'along the table 14.

The envelopes are then carried by two conveyor belts 33 and 34 having contiguous runs. A large rectangular opening 35 is formed in the table 14 between the two belts 33 ice and 34, and suitable tensioning rollers 36 and 37 are provided to keep the belts 33 and 34 taut. Each belt 33 and 34 is entrained over a pair of rollers, and rollers 38 and 39 of each pair are respectively fixed to contrarotating shafts 40 and 41. While the envelopes are moving forwardly between the belts 33 and 34, the longitudinal edge 21a of each envelope bears against the side wall 12. This is important for accurate cutting. In some cases it might be advisable to slightly tilt the axes of the rollers 38 and 39 so that the belts 33 and 34 would tend to urge the envelopes against the side wall 12, but this has not been found necessary in the present machine.

After the envelopes emerge from the area of the belts 33 and 34, they pass between a pair of contiguous rollers 42 and 43 which feed them to a pair of rotary disc knives 44 and 45 at the first cutting station 18. The roller 43 is fixed to a driven shaft 46, and the roller 42 is a downwardly-biassed idler.

The rotary disc knives 44 and 45 are fixed to contra-rotating shafts 47 and 48, and the rotary disc knife 45 is slightly spaced from the side wall 12 and is in light touching engagement with the rotary disc knife 44 (see FIG. 3). The rotary disc knives 44 and 45 slice or cut a narrow strip from the longitudinal edge 21a of each envelope.

After leaving the first cutting station 18 each envelope is fed between contiguous pairs of rollers 49, 50 and 51, 52 which move each envelope forwardly. The rollers 50 and 52 are respectively fixed to driven shafts 53 and 54 and the rollers 49 and 51 are downwardly-bi'assed idlers. The roller 52 is preferably driven at a slightly greater speed than the roller 50 so that envelopes are accelerated away from the roller 52.

The table 15 is spaced below the table 14 so that the envelopes drop downwardly after being ejected by the rollers 51 and 52. A stop member 55 abuts against the table 15 near the right-hand end, and each envelope is jogged against the stop member 55 to thereby urge the contents of the envelope towards the leading or right-hand end. At the opposite end of the table 15 there is a transverse cylindrical rotary cutter 56 having four equi-spaced helical peripheral grooves 57 with cutting edges. The cutting edges of the grooves 57 are rectilinear and form an angle of about 3 with an intersecting imaginary line on the cutter surface that is parallel to the cutter axis, and the grooves 57 are about deep. The cutting edges can be formed in replaceable hardened inserts that are attached to appropriate sides of the grooves 57. The rotary cutter 56 is fixed to a driven shaft 58, and the rotary cutter 56 is sufficiently spaced below the table 14 that it does not interfere with the travel of envelopes between the rollers 51 and 52 and the stop member 55.

The trailing or left-hand end of each envelope is urged downwardly by the rotating rotary cutter 56 as well as by gravity and eventual-1y enters one of the peripheral grooves 57 of the rotary cutter 56. The rotary cutter 56 thus helps to accurately position the envelope for cutting. The cutting edges of the grooves 57 co-operate with the adjacent edge of the table 15 to effect a shearing action, and in the result a narrow strip is cut from the left-hand end of each envelope. In order to accommodate envelopes of different lengths the position of the stop member 55 is adjustable by slackening screws 59 and moving the stop member 55 to an appropriate position for the desired envelopes. Paper cuttings can be withdrawn from the area of the cutting station 19 through a duct 60. Air in the duct 60 is preferably kept at a reduced pressure by a suction source (not shown). In addition, a slight vacuum is helpful in holding the envelope against the table 15. This can be provided by forming a small opening in the table 15 near the centre of the envelope; the

opening communicates with a suction source (not. shown).

The envelopes must now be removed from the table 15 and their right-hand ends out without cutting the contents. At this stage the contents of each envelope is crowded towards the right-hand end so it is necessary to shift the contents towards the left-hand end prior to cutting the right-hand end. These steps are accomplished as follows.

An elongated bar 61 is pivotally supported by parallel links 62, 63 which are respectively pivoted at pivot points 64 and 65. The ends of the links 62, 63 opposite the bar 61 are pivoted to a link 66 having a roller 67 at its rear end. A spring 68 re-arwardly biasses the lower ends of the links 62, 63 so that normally the bar 61 is flush with the table 15. A cam 69 carried by a driven shaft 70 engages the roller 67 once during every revolution of the shaft 70 and thus causes the bar 61 to rise above the table 15 thereby lifting the left-hand end of the envelope. A pair of ejection fingers 71 and 72 are also fixed to the shaft 70 and when they move forwardly they engage the longitudinal edge 21a of the envelope and move the envelope in a direction that is transverse to its former direction. The bar 61 is fully raised when the envelope is being moved by the ejection fingers'71 and 72.

The envelope is then carried by two spaced pairs of belts 73, 74 and 75, 76 having contiguous runs. The belts 73 and 75 are entrained about rollers which are carried by shafts 77, 78 that are journalled in suitable bearings. The belts 74 and 76 are driven in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from the right (see FIG. 4) and the upper runs of the belts 74 and 76 are respectively exposed to the belts 73 and 75 through rectangular openings formed in the table 15. The envelopes travel between the two pairs of belts and eventually fiall onto the table 16 which is spaced below the table 15.

During their fall from the table 15 the envelopes are guided by a pair of guide arms 79, 80 which are pivotally secured to the shaft 77 and which are joined by a cross piece 81. The lower ends of the guide arms 79*, 80 are down turned and they rest upon the surface of the table 16. The down turned ends serve as a stop to limit the travel of the envelopes as they fall from the table 15. The envelopes are then moved to the right by an upstanding end wall 82 of a flat horizontal plate 83 that is below the table 16. The left-hand end of the horizontal plate 83 is supported by two springs 84 which also serve to bias the horizontal plate 83 towards the left. The horizontal plate 83 is formed with opposed down turned side walls 83a each of which is provided with a slot 83b. Opposed parallel levers 85 are pivotally connected at their lower ends to the frame 11, and each lever 85 has a slotted upper end. A pin 85a extends between the side walls 83a of the horizontal plate 83 and can be adjustably positioned in the slots 83b to eifectively vary the length of the levers 85. A cam follower 85b extends between the levers 85 and is driven by a cam 86 that is secured to a driven shaft 360. A bracket 87 is fixed to the far side (as viewed in FIG. 1) of the horizontal plate 83 and its right-hand end is slotted and projects upwardly through an opening in the plate 16. A slotted bracket 88 is provided at the opposite or near side of the horizontal plate 83, and two spaced pins 89 fixed to the horizontal plate 83 are received in the slot of the bracket 88. A pair of contiguous upper and lower rollers 90 and 91 serve to feed each envelope towards a rotary cutter 92 and also to withdraw the envelope after its right-hand end has been cut. The lower roller 91 is journalled below the table 16 in any convenient bearings and is exposed to the upper roller 90 through a rectangular opening 93 in the table 16. The upper roller 91 has a shaft 94 that is journalled in bearings 95. Two downwardly depending levers 96 and 97 are fixed to the shaft 94 on opposite sides of the roller 90. The lever 96 has a pin 98 that is received in the slot .of the bracket 87, and the lever 97 is pivotally connected 4 to the slotted bracket 88 at a pivot point 99. The rotary cutter 92 is similar in all respects to the rotary cutter 56, and its cutting edges co-operate with an adjacent edge of the table 16 to effect a shearing action.

The cam 86 is synchronized with the remainder of the drive mechanism so that when an envelope falls upon the table 16 the horizontal plate 83 and hence the upstanding end wall 82 are at the left-hand limit of their travel. Referring to FIG. 5, the cam 86 is so shaped that the horizontal plate 83 is initially abruptly accelerated. The actual linear motion of the horizontal plate 83 during the initial acceleration is only about /s", but the shock caused by the acceleration urges the contents of the envelope towards the trailing or left-hand end. As the cam 86 continues to rotate, the horizontal plate 83 moves more slowly to the right and eventually the pin 93 of the lever 96 engages the left-hand end of the slot in the bracket 87. Further motion of the horizontal plate 83 towards the right causes the lower end of the lever 96 to swing to the right, thereby causing the roller 90 to rotate counterclockwise. At this point the righthand end of the envelope contacts the rollers 90', 91, and

further movement of the envelope is accurately controlled by the rotation of the roller 90 so that the envelope comes to rest at precisely the correct position for accurate cutting of the right-hand end. The angle through which the roller 90 rotates is determined by the motion of the bracket 87 after the pin 98 engages the left-hand end of the slot in the bracket 87. The rotary cutter 92 is secured to .a drive shaft 100.

After the right-hand end of the envelope has been cut, the horizontal plate 83 (and the end wall 82) return to the left under the influence of the springs 84. At first the roller 90 does not rotate, for its pin 98 is intermediate the ends of the slot of the bracket 87, but eventually the pin 98 hits the right-hand end of the slot. Further motion of the bracket 87 to the left causes the roller 90 to rotate clockwise through the same angle it had previously rotated. When the right-hand end of the envelope clears the rollers 90 and 91 a pair of ejection fingers 101 carried by a shaft 102 move the envelope transversely and it falls into a receptacle 103. Simultaneously with the action of the ejection fingers 101 the guide arms 79 and are lifted upwardly so that their lower ends do not interfere with the envelope. This is accomplished by providing an ear 104 in the left-hand side of the guide arm 79, and this car is controlled by a cam 105 carried by the shaft 102. The mechanism can be adjusted to accommodate envelopes of various lengths by appropriately positioning the pin a in the slots 83]). This alters the effective lengths of the levers 85 and thus adjusts the travel of the horizontal plate 83 to suit the desired envelope length.

All the various drive shafts used in the machine are driven positively by an electric motor 106 through any suitable arrangement of belts or chains and pulleys.

The operation of the machine is summarized as follows. Envelopes 21 which have been manually jogged to urge their contents away from the longitudinal edge 21a are placed in the hopper 22. Individual envelopes are suc- 'cessively withdrawn from the hopper by the rotating sector shaped members 25 and are carried along the table by the belts 33, 34. The rollers 42, 43 feed the envelopes to the rotary disc knives 44, 45 which cut a narrow strip from the longitudinal edge 21a of the envelopes. Then the envelopes are accelerated towards the stop member 55 by the pairs of rollers 49, 50 and 51, 52, and the contents of the envelopes is urged towards the leading or right-hand end of the envelopes when the envelopes hit the stop member 55. The trailing or left-hand end of the envelopes enters a helical :groove 57 in the rotary cutter 56, and a narrow strip is cut from the left-hand end by the cutting edge of the groove 57 as it moves past the adjacent edge of the table 15. The ejection fingers 71 then move the envelopes transversely and simultaneously the bar 61 rises to lift the left-hand end of the envelopes away from the rotary cutter 56. The belts 73, 74 and 75, 76 carry the envelopes over the edge of the table 15, and the envelopes then fall to the table 16. The horizontal plate 83 with its upstanding end wall 82 then moves abruptly to the right, and the initial acceleration serves to jog the envelopes to thereby shift the contents away from the right-hand end. Then the envelopes are moved a measured distance to the right by the rollers 90, 91 and the right-hand end of the envelope is sheared by the rotary cutter 92. The horizontal plate 83 returns to the left and the rollers 90, 91 rotate in the reverse direction to thereby move the envelopes to the left. The ejection fingers 101 knock the envelopes into the receptacle 103, but just prior to this the guide arms 79, 80 are raised to permit the envelopes to move past their down turned ends.

What I claim as my invention is: 1. An automatic envelope opener comprising a frame having a table, means for successively withdrawing envelopes from a stack of envelopes of similar lengths and moving the envelopes along the table, a stop member which abuts against the table, means for jogging each envelope against the stop member to thereby urge the contents of the envelope towards one end of the envelope, and a cutter carried by the frame for cutting a narrow strip from the opposite end of each envelope after it has been jogged. 2. An automatic envelope opener comprising a frame having a table,

means for successively withdrawing envelopes from a stack of envelopes of similar lengths and moving the envelopes along the table, a first cutter carried by the frame for cutting a narrow strip from one edge of each envelope,

means for jogging each envelope to thereby urge the contents of the envelope towards an end of the envelope that is transverse to said one edge, and

a second cutter carried by the frame for cutting a narrow strip from the opposite end of each envelope after it has been jogged.

3. An automatic envelope opener comprising a frame having a table,

means for successively withdrawing individual envelopes from a stack of envelopes of similar lengths and moving the envelopes individually along the table,

a first cutter carried by the frame for cutting a narrow strip from one longitudinal edge of each envelope,

means for jogging each envelope against the stop member to thereby urge the contents of the envelope towards one end of the envelope, and

a second cutter carried by the frame for cutting a narrow strip from the opposite end of each envelope after it has been jogged.

4. An automatic envelope opener comprising a frame having a table and a side Wall extending normally from the table.

means for successively Withdrawing individual envelopes from a stack of envelopes of similar lengths and moving the envelopes individually along the table with one longitudinal edge of the envelopes against the side wall,

a pair of rotary disc knives carried by the side wall and adapted to cut a narrow strip from said longitudinal edge of each envelope,

a stop member which abuts against the table,

a cylindrical rotary cutter carried by the frame with its axis transverse to the path of the envelopes, and means for jogging each envelope against the stop member to thereby urge the contents of the envelope towards one end of the envelope,

the distance between the rotary cutter and the stop member being such that a narrow strip is cut from the opposite end of each envelope after it has been jogged.

5. An automatic envelope opener comprising a frame having a table and a side wall extending normally from the table,

the table including a first portion and a second portion that is lower than the first portion,

a hopper at one end of the upper portion of the table for receiving a stack of envelopes of similar lengths,

a pair of rotary disc knives carried by the side wall,

means for successively withdrawing the envelopes from the hopper and moving the envelopes individually along the first portion of the table past the rotary disc knives with one longitudinal edge of the envelopes against the side wall to thereby cut a narrow strip from said longitudinal edge of each envelope,

a stop member which abuts against the second portion of the table,

a cylindrical rotary cutter having helical peripheral grooves with cutting edges,

the rotary cutter being arranged between the rotary disc knives and the stop member with its axis transverse to the path of the envelopes,

the cutting edges of the rotary cutter co-operating with an edge of the second portion of the table that is remote from the stop member to effect a shearing action, and

means for jogging each envelope against the stop member to thereby urge the contents of the envelope towards one end of the envelope,

the distance between the rotary cutter and the stop member being such that the opposite end of each envelope is received in a groove in the rotary cutter and a narrow strip is cut from said opposite end of the envelope after the envelope has been jogged.

6. An automatic envelope opener as claimed in claim 5 wherein the envelope moving means includes a pair of conveyor belts with contiguous runs that are level with the first portion of the table, the envelopes being carried between said contiguous runs.

7. An automatic envelope opener as claimed in claim 6 wherein the envelope jogging means includes two pairs of contiguous rollers carried by the side wall between the rotary disc knives and the rotary cutter, each pair including an upper idler roller and a lower driven roller, the idler roller being biased towards the lower roller, and the speed of the driven roller of the pair nearest the rotary cutter being greater than that of the other driven roller so that each envelope is accelerated towards the stop member.

8. An automatic envelope opener comprising a frame having a table, means for successively withdrawing envelopes from a stack of envelopes of similar lengths and moving the envelopes along the table,

a first cutter carried by the frame for cutting a narrow strip from one edge of each envelope,

means for jogging each envelope to thereby urge the contents of the envelope towards an end of the envelope that is transverse to said one edge,

a second cutter carried by the frame for cutting a narrow strip from the opposite end of each envelope after it has been jogged,

means for moving each envelope away from said second cutter after said opposite end has been cut,

a third cutter carried by the frame,

means for accelerating each envelope towards the thirdcutter after it has been moved away from the second cutter to thereby urge the contents of the envelope towards said opposite end, and

means for feeding each envelope to the third cutter to thereby cut a narrow strip from said one end of each envelope.

9. An automatic envelope opener comprising a frame having a table,

means for successively withdrawing individual envelopes from a stack of envelopes of similar lengths and moving the envelopes individually along the table,

a first cutter carried by the frame for cutting a narrow strip from one longitudinal edge of each envelope,

a stop member which abuts against the table,

means for jogging each envelope against the stop member to thereby urge the contents of the envelope towards one end of the envelope,

a second cutter carried by the frame for cutting a narrow strip from the opposite end of each envelope after it has been jogged,

means for moving each envelope away from said second cutter after said opposite end has been cut,

a third cutter carried by the frame,

means for accelerating each envelope towards the third cutter after it has been moved away from the second cutter to thereby urge the contents of the envelope towards said opposite end, 1

means for feeding each envelope to the third cutter to thereby cut a narrow strip from said one end of each envelope, and

means for withdrawing each envelope from the third cutter after said one end has been cut.

10. 'An automatic envelope opener comprising a frame having a table and a side wall extending normally from the table,

the table including a first portion, a second portion that is lower than the first portion,

and a third portion that is lower than the second portion,

a hopper at one end of the upper portion of the table for receiving a stack of envelopes of similar lengths,

a pair of rotary disc knives carried by the side wall,

means for successively withdrawing the envelopes from the hopper and moving the envelopes individually along the first portion of the table past the rotary disc knives With one longitudinal edge of the envelopes against the side wall to thereby cut a narrow strip from said longitudinal edge of each envelope,

a stop member which abuts against the second portion of the table,

a cylindrical first rotary cutter having helical peripheral grooves with cutting edges,

the first rotary cutter being arranged between the rotary disc knives and the stop member with its axis transverse to the path of the envelopes,

the cutting edges of the first rotary cutter'co-operating with an edge of the second portion of the table that is remote from the stop member to eifect a shearing action,

means for jogging each envelope against the stop member to thereby urge the contents of the envelope towards one end of the envelope,

the distance between the first rotary cutter and the stop member being such that the opposite end of each envelope is received in a groove in the first rotary cutter and a narrow strip is cut from said opposite end of the envelope after the envelope has been jogged,

means for moving each envelope away from the first rotary cutter after said opposite end has been cut, a cylindrical second rotary cutter having helical peripheral grooves with cutting edges, the cutting edges of the second rotary cutter co-opera ing with an edge of the third portion of the table to effect a shearing action,

means for accelerating each envelope towards the second rotary cutter after it has been moved away from the first rotary cutter to thereby urge the contents of the envelope towards said opposite end,

means for feeding each envelope to the second rotary cutter so that said one end of the envelope is received in a groove in the rotary cutter and a narrow strip is cut from said one end of the envelope, and

means for withdrawing each envelope from the second rotary cutter after said one end has been cut.

11. A rotary cutter for cutting paper envelopes and the like, comprising a rotatable circular cylinder having a plurality of helical peripheral grooves with cutting edges, said cutting edges being rectilinear and forming an angle of about 3 with an intersecting imaginary line on the cutter surface that is parallel to the cutter axis.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 965,868 8/1910 Byrnes 83-912 X 1,559,020 10/1925 Washburne 83912 X 2,635,694 4/1953 Calhoun et al 83-912 X 3,116,718 1/1964 Krupotich et a1 120-35 ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Primary Examiner. 

9. AN AUTOMATIC ENVELOPE OPENER COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING A TABLE, MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY WITHDRAWING INDIVIDUAL ENVELOPES FROM A STACK OF ENVELOPES OF SIMILAR LENGTHS AND MOVING THE ENVELOPES INDIVIDUALLY ALONG THE TABLE, A FIRST CUTTER CARRIED BY THE FRAME FOR CUTTER A NARROW STRIP FROM ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF EACH ENVELOPE, A STOP MEMBER WHICH ABUTS AGAINST THE TABLE, MEANS FOR JOGGING EACH ENVELOPE AGAINST THE STOP MEMBER TO THEREBY URGE THE CONTENTS OF THE ENVELOPE TOWARDS ONE END OF THE ENVELOPE, A SECOND CUTTER CARRIED BY THE FRAME FOR CUTTING A NARROW STRIP FROM THE OPPOSITE END OF EACH ENVELOPE AFTER IT HAS BEEN JOGGED, MEANS FOR MOVING EACH ENVELOPE AWAY FROM SAID SECOND CUTTER AFTER SAID OPPOSITE END HAS BEEN CUT, A THIRD CUTTER CARRIED BY THE FRAME, MEANS FOR ACCELERATING EACH ENVELOPE TOWARDS THE THIRD CUTTER AFTER IT HAS BEEN MOVED AWAY FROM THE SECOND CUTTER TO THEREBY URGE THE CONTENTS OF THE ENVELOPE TOWARDS SAID OPPOSITE END, MEANS FOR FEEDING EACH ENVELOPE OF THE THIRD CUTTER TO THEREBY CUT A NARROW STRIP FROM SAID ONE END OF EACH ENVELOPE, AND MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING EACH ENVELOPE FROM THE THIRD CUTTER AFTER SAID ONE END HAS BEEN CUT. 